1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, particularly to an image forming apparatus using a rolled print medium.
2. Related Art
An image forming apparatus, such as a label printer, performs printing on a print medium having an adhesive surface with no release liner attached thereto, such as an adhesive tape or a label sheet with no backing sheet, (hereinafter also referred to as a linerless label sheet), and thereafter cuts the print medium into print medium pieces (hereinafter also referred to as label pieces) of a desired length.
A printer that performs printing on labels temporarily attached to a label continuum may include, for example, a label holding device that suppresses flapping of the label continuum fed from a storage space storing the label continuum to a printing position by holding the label continuum between the label holding device and a guide plate. The label holding device includes an upper cover for opening and closing an upper part of the storage space and a label holder attached to the upper cover. When the upper cover closes, the label holder moves to a position at which the label holder and the guide plate hold therebetween the label continuum. When the upper cover opens, the label holder moves upward with the upper cover.
In general, a print medium such as a linerless label sheet is unwound from a roll and set on a transporting device. Since no release liner is attached to the adhesive surface of the print medium, the print medium is peeled off from the roll. Such peeling of the print medium causes a leading end portion of the print medium to curl in the opposite direction to the winding direction of the roll. When the print medium with such a relatively large curl is set on the transporting device, it is desirable to perform the setting of the print medium while removing the curl, and simplify the operation of setting the print medium.
The above-described label holding device is capable of holding the print medium. However, the label holder moves with the opening or closing movement of the upper cover. When the upper cover is closed, therefore, the print medium is not visible, and thus whether or not the print medium is correctly set is not ascertainable. Further, the setting of the print medium involves opening and closing the entire upper cover, which affects operability.